Spring-hinge



NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

RICHARD'BELCHES, OF HAYMARKET, VIRGINIA.

SPRING-HINGE.

srncrrroArIoN forming pea ef Lettere Patent ne. 402,888, aerea Apen so, 1889.

Application filed August 13, 1888. Serial No. 282,586. (No model.)

To all whom, it 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD BELcHEs, of Haymarket, in the county of Prince William and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hinges; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention relates to certain improvements in hinges, such as are particularly well adapted for application to trap-doors and similar structures where it is desired to have a smooth surface on one side,with a tight joint all around, the object of the invention being to provide a hinge simplein design, consisting of but few working parts, adapted to return automatically to normal position when the door is closed 5 to which ends the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trap-door from the under side, showing my hinge applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hinge alone. Fig. 3 is a side elevation in the position the hinge will occupy when theA door is thrown open, the door and floor being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4e is a bottom plan view.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts. l

The letter A designates the base of the hinge,

having the two guides a a cast or formed in` tegral therewith, through which the bolt slides. This bolt is composed of two parts. The one, B, somewhat longer than the other, works in the guide a at the rear end of the base; the

other, B', is united to the end 0f section B at b by a hinge-j oint, and works in guide a', its forward end being hinged at b' to the hingeplate C, the latter being secured to -the trapdoor by screws or otherwise.

At the rear end of the long section ofthe bolt is a standard or guide, D, for a rod, E, secured in the lug e on the bolt-guide a. The rod passes loosely through this guide D, and

is provided with a long spiral spring, F, abut ting against the guide and lug e, respectively,

for holding the bolt normally retracted, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

Should it for any reason be desired to oper^ ate an alarm when the door is opened, a lever, G, may be pivoted on the end of the projec; tion F and engage with a slot or depression, g, in the top of the long section B of the bolt, the slot being so located as that the end of the lever will enter the same only when the bolt is 'in normal position, but when said bolt is drawn out will ride up out of the slot and cause a sweeping movement of the long arm of the lever which bears the spring-pressed catch or pawl H, the latter carrying the bellhammer, as will be readily understood. A stop, such as I, is provided for preventing the too great movement of the lever, and a proj ection, K, is located on the bolt for insuring the return of the hammer to normal position.

In the practical application and operation of this hinge the baseA is secured by screws,.

bolts, or other suitable means to the rear sur face of the wall or under side of the floor, with its front edge in proximity to the division-line or door-opening. The door is then placed in position and the hin ge-plate C secured thereto in the ordinary manner. Now, when the door is opened, it will pivot on the edge of the wall or floor, drawing the bolt straight out, thus actuating the alarm, until the draw on the shorter section, B', of the bolt begins to be in an upward direction, when it will be drawn up, as shown Yin Fig. 3, such movement being permitted, when the section is longer than the thickness of the door and door, by the slots L, formed in the bottom of the base, as shown in Fig. 4, which extend as far as the inner edges of the guides c a to permit either or both sections of the bolt to have a slight tilting movement. The door in this position is slightly back of the center, and will remain until moved slightly forward into a position where the spring begins to assert itself by drawing against the end of the shorter section of the bolt, when the door will be closed.

While I have described my hinge as particularly applicable to trap-doors, it is obvious that it may be used wherever it is desired to have a tight-fitting door with no hinge exposed on one side, and at thc same time one which can be used as a spring-hinge for closing the door.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is l. The combination, with the base having the two guides thereon, of the bolt moving in such guides, formed in two parts hinged together, and the hinge-plate hinged to one of said sections, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the base having the two guides thereon and the slots beneath such guides, of the bolt moving in the guides, formed in two sections hinged together, and the hinge-plate hinged to one of said sections, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the base having the two guides thereon, the bolt formed in two sections hinged together, one section adapted to normally rest in each guide and the hingeplate united to one section, of the spring engaging one of said sections and abutting against the base for returning the bolt to normal position, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the base having the guides thereon, the two-part bolt, and the hinge-plate united thereto, of the rod connected to the base and working through a guide on the bolt, and the spring surrounding the rod and abutting against the base and guide for returning the bolt to normal position.

5. The combination, with the base having the two guidesmf'ith slots beneath the same, of the bolt moving in said guides, formed in two sections hinged together, the hinge-plate hinged to one of said sections, the rod and its guide, and the spring surrounding said rod for returning the bolt to normal position, substantially as described.

RICHARD BELOHES. lVitnesses:

G. W. SMITH, J 1'., R. SHIRLEY CLARK. 

